1. Field of the Invention
The present teachings relate to electrical cords and, in particular, to a device and methods for maintaining engagement between electrical plug connections.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrical devices such as power tools, household appliances, and other consumer electronics often possess a cord having a plug to be engaged with a receiving socket such as that found on an extension cord or the like. The cords of these devices are subject to snagging and may be easily disengaged, interrupting the electrical connection and posing a potential safety hazard if the plug becomes partially disengaged to expose the contacts.
To improve safety, it has been suggested to position a retaining structure over the connected plugs or sockets to prevent disengagement of the plugs. Unfortunately, typical retaining structures are not adaptable to fit different sizes of electrical plugs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,738 to Tillotson illustrates a typical electrical cord securing device that has a securing member attached to the male end of an electrical cord. The securing member is adapted to attach to the mating electrical cord. However, the securing member is not adjustable. Hence, the cord that is to be attached and secured with this device must be sized to for the securing device which limits the use of the securing device to just a single cord.
Other retaining structures disclosed in the prior art attach to the cord but, unfortunately, bend the cord in detrimental contours to inhibit disengagement of the plugs. In general, bending the cord does not provide as secure of attachment and can also weaken the structural integrity of the cord with excessive wear and tear via bending. Still other retaining structures in the prior art are inconvenient and use complex housings that do not allow for quick connect and disconnect. These types of retaining structures are inefficient and require a large amount of time to construct, deconstruct, and reconstruct for each use.
As a result, there is a need for a clamp assembly that is adapted to provide a secure engagement between electrical plugs or socket connectors that can be adjusted to accommodate various plug or connector assemblies and configurations. To this end, there exists a need to improve the safety of clamp assemblies by maintaining the secure engagement between electrical plugs or socket connectors.